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Roy Wood Jr. Thinks Your Career Is a Joke
After years of making us laugh at our pain, the most likable man in comedy focuses on the most painful thing of all: our jobs
Roy Wood Jr. is the kind of guy who makes everyone comfortable. He has a talent for making strangers feel as if they grew up with him on his street in Birmingham, Alabama. Even if you have dissimilar viewpoints and values, you’d still want to sit and have a beer with him. It’s part of how Wood has been able to spend his career tackling difficult topics. It’s also why the 42-year-old comedian has remained busy, even in the midst of a pandemic.
In addition to being a correspondent on The Daily Show, Wood recently launched Roy’s Job Fair, a new podcast that explores the pain and comedy in looking for, finding, and keeping a job. Wood has also gotten back to hitting the road to prepare for his third Comedy Central special; his previous, No One Loves You, is the channel’s highest-rated stand-up special since 2017.
Roy Wood Jr. got comfortable with LEVEL, opening up about how Covid-19 has affected the stand-up comedy scene, the inspiration behind his professional life–focused podcast, and how to find humor in touchy topics.
LEVEL: With Covid-19 vaccines making the rounds and social distancing mandates loosening, are you excited to get back to touring?
Roy Wood Jr.: I’m waiting for other comedians to hit the road first—end of spring, maybe summer. I’ll probably do some shows in the city; New York seems to have a grasp on the situation. When I’m booking road dates, I have to check against Covid protocols, restrictions, and the infection rate. I’ve never had to do more homework in my life.
I was a little surprised to see you had a stop in Austin.
Yeah, man, I’m supposed to be going to Austin in June. That might be one where I go straight to the venue and right back to my hotel room — no hanging out.
Is there anything you can’t wait to do when we climb out of all of this?
Honestly, I’m not sure that I miss anything right now, which is odd. You know, as much as I love stand-up comedy and being on the road, I’ve had so much more fun writing scripts for…
